hedgehog
All these animals and many more need hedgerows. They use them as highways, they raise their families in them and they need them for food and yet, this humble habitat has become under-valued and unappreciated.
Hazel Dormouse asleep © Tamasine Stretton
Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) male in spring plumage in hawthorn hedgerow. Norfolk. April 2011. - Chris Gomersall/2020VISION
Donald Sutherland
Jon Hawkins - Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography
Male Hedge Brown © Tim Ward
Hedgerow covered in blossom © Chris Gomersall/2020VISION
Replicating a woodland edge this man-made habitat was once highly prized and carefully managed, to provide shelter and food for livestock, as well as a boundary. 'Woodland edge' is often much more diverse than beneath the canopy, with plenty of sunlight allowing many more plants the opportunity to grow - and so it is with hedgerows - variety is the spice of life!
Time and tastes change and, in recent decades, this change has been so fast that wildlife simply cannot keep up. As the human population has grown, we have forgotten that we need the natural world to survive; we have destroyed the hedgerows we once valued, to make way for homes, business and bigger machinery. Many of those which have survived this onslaught, have suffered under a 'death of thousand cuts' - cut too often and too low, in the pursuit of tidiness and convenience.
Change is the only constant in life
We have lost so much, so quickly, but it's not too late; we can ALL contribute and we CAN change! Next time you head outside, really notice your local hedgerows. How many have been cut? How many can you see over the top of, or through? How many look torn or have 'knuckles'? Observe which hedges are favoured by the birds. If you are good at winter tree ID, count how many different woody plant species are in a 30m section. If you can, keep up your hedge-watching as we go through the remains of winter and into spring. You might even find out which ones are favoured for nesting by your local birds. Above all, revel in the wonder of structure, colour, diversity, etc - really notice this amazing habitat.
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) berries; image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay
Long before tractor-mounted flails were even thought of, we laid hedges. Hedge-laying is a skilled and labour-intensive job, so hedge-layers started their labours in the autumn, in order to have the whole winter to complete the task. It became the traditional time for hedgerow management and remained so, even as the methods changed. With modern machinery, we can cut hedges quickly and easily, so there is simply no need to start so early. By doing so, we are removing vital shelter and food, just when our wild animals need them most. We need to move the standard cutting time to late winter instead.
Uncut hedgerow © MWT
Not all hedges need cutting every year. In fact, by doing so, we are slowly killing the trees in that hedge, leading to a reduction in diversity, increasing gaps and ultimately the death of the whole hedge. Wherever possible, cut every two or three years instead. Really think about whether the whole thing needs to be cut; for example, if you have a roadside hedge, maybe just lightly trim the stragglers by the road one year and do a full cut the next.
Colin Smith / Hedge-cutting, Warnborough Green
We really need to overcome our 'Obsessive Tidiness Disorder'! Sure, there are likely to be places where we need to cut low for safety, but, in reality those areas are few and far between. By raising the height of the flail, we can make a big difference. Aim to create a thick hedge, at least 2m high, wherever you can.
Hedge-laying © John Poyser
Look for opportunities to ditch the flail altogether. If you can afford to hedge-lay, that is by far the preferable route to a wildlife-rich habitat.
A lush, green, uncut hedgerow © MWT
Flailed short town hedgerow © Tamasine Stretton
Even if you don’t own or manage land with hedgerows, there is still a lot you can do. Help generate a landslide of hedgerow-love by sharing your passion with others.
